2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship – Event 1 Recap

Returning drivers Joris Croezen and Tamás Gál were elected to take to the track for Event 1, which opened with the Chinese Grand Prix.

Qualifying set the tone for the weekend, highlighting the tight margins expected this season. Both drivers progressed to Q2, with Hungarian Gál narrowly missing missing out on the top 10 shootout in P11. Teammate Croezen secured his first Q3 appearance of the season, finishing the session in P6.

The race around Shanghai International Circuit saw Croezen gain a position from P6 on the grid – starting the race on the medium compound –while Gál dropped to P12 on hards. By lap 10, Croezen had climbed to P2 as the frontrunners made their pit stops, before pitting on lap 11, with Gál stopping three laps later for ,medium tires and a new front wing. On lap 18, Croezen battled Aston Martin’s Rubén Pedreño as he caught the cars yet to stop.

Once pit stops were complete, Croezen settled into P5, with Gál in P16. The Dutchman defended hard from Alpine’s Otis Lawrence on lap 23, briefly losing the position but regaining it two laps later after Lawrence made contact with Jarno Opmeer of Red Bull. At the flag, Croezen secured a strong P5 finish, while Gál crossed the line in P17.

The second day of racing saw the team move on to the Japanese Grand Prix. Both drivers navigated tricky weather conditions in qualifying to progress into Q2 again. However, even though both had improved their time on the final push lap, they just missed out on the final segment of qualifying, with Croezen P11 and Gál P12.

The race unfolded in improved conditions, with the Haas drivers swapping positions off the start before settling into P6 and P7 by lap 10. Gál switched to hard tires on lap 11, while Croezen opted for mediums two laps later. As pit stops cycled through, they ran P8 and P9 by lap 20 before Gál was overtaken by Mercedes’ Thomas Ronhaar and McLaren’s Alfie Butcher after a late dive into Turn 11. In the closing laps, Croezen battled Butcher - who carried a three second time penalty - while Gál recovered to P10. Croezen finished P7, but a post race five second penalty dropped Gál from P9 to P14.

The final day of Event 1 saw the grid take on the Bahrain International Circuit. Qualifying unfolded under the floodlights, where Croezen was unable to progress beyond Q1 for the first time this season, finishing P16. Gál advanced to Q2 but, despite improving on his final run, was eliminated in P13.

For the Bahrain Grand Prix, both TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team drivers started on medium tires and gained positions on the opening lap, successfully avoiding the spinning Racing Bulls car of Tom Manley. Gál made the first pit stop on lap 8 from inside the top ten, switching to Hard tires, with Croezen following four laps later. By lap 18, Croezen had climbed to P12, with Gál close behind in P14. As the race entered its closing stages, intense battles unfolded inside the top ten, with Croezen well positioned to take advantage of any late drama. Gál made a second stop on lap 23 for another set of medium rubber, rejoining at the back.

On the final lap, while running P9, Croezen capitalized on a collision between Frederick Rasmussen of Red Bull and Julian Klaffenbock of Mercedes, moving up to P7 at the checkered flag and securing another strong points finish. Gál ultimately came home in P14.

Joris Croezen, TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team driver, said: “No points in my rookie season wasn’t what I had worked for, so to start our second season together with two top-five finishes and a top-eight is a massive achievement for the team. 24 points from three races on a competitive grid is huge. Now it’s full focus on the next three rounds - no time to rest if we want to keep this up!”

Tamas Gál, TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team driver, said: “First of all, congratulations to Joris for scoring 24 points for the team. We worked hard together to show that we deserved more than we got last season. On a personal note, I’m very disappointed - I got hit in two races after some technical issues in my first qualifying session. Things didn’t go my way, but there are still nine races to go.”

Joris Croezen sits sixth in the drivers’ standings after the first event, with Tamas Gál 20th, while TGR Haas F1 Sim Racing Team occupies seventh in the teams’ standings. Racing resumes for Event 2 on April 22-23, tackling Jeddah, Barcelona and Silverstone.